Erika's Family History Project



Source #1 (Artifact)
IMG_1849.JPG
2. Brief description of source
This is a picture of me and my dad in my class, learning about America’s history. Parents were invited to come and watch us all learn. This picture was taken in my summer school and my dad was clarifying on what the context meant because there were parts that I didn’t understand.

3. Source type (primary or secondary)
This is a primary source because this picture was taken during the event.

4. Short explanation of the source’s significance to the event
This artifact is significant to the event because this proves that the event has taken place when I was in second grade. It also helps me and my parents to remember how I changed my view of the U.S., which was a huge matter to my family.

5. Written or oral (e.g. podcast) recount of the event with direct reference to all of the sources
On July 16th, 2004, our parents were invited to come and watch us learning history in my summer school. We were currently learning about the aftermath of the Civil War between the Confederate and the Union. I couldn’t grasp some of the main ideas, so my dad explained in more simple terms, and my mom took a picture of us. He helped me by reading the textbook we were using out loud. My father later left the room to call a colleague, and a group of parents were arguing about the teacher’s biased remarks and what they thought of the war. The identity of the KKK was explained to me, which changed my view of the U.S. and some of its racial issues. My father didn’t witness the dispute because he was out calling, but my mother told him about it.


Source #2 (Document)
IMG_1850.jpg(Citation below)
Taylor, Sonya Abbye. "Free But Not Equal." History of Our Country. New York: Steck-Vaughn Company, 2005.
www.citationmachine.net (on how to cite books)

2. Brief description of source
This is a part of my history textbook that I had used in summer school. This section briefly talks about the African slaves and how they lived after the Civil War, when they were set free. This section also contains the part where the KKK was mentioned, which changed my view of the U.S.

3. Source type (primary or secondary)
This is a primary source because this printed document was used as a reference material during the event.

4. Short explanation of the source’s significance to the event
If it wasn't for this textbook, the significant event that happened in my life wouldn't have happened. It was the context in the textbook that brought the dangerous side of the U.S. to light (to me), which changed me as a whole being. I changed my perspective of the U.S., what people perceived different people as, etc.

5. Written or oral (e.g. podcast) recount of the event with direct reference to all of the sources
On July 16th, 2004, our parents were invited to come and watch us learning history in my summer school. We were currently learning about the aftermath of the Civil War between the Confederate and the Union. I couldn’t grasp some of the main ideas, so my dad explained in more simple terms, and my mom took a picture of us. He helped me by reading the textbook we were using out loud. My father later left the room to call a colleague, and a group of parents were arguing about the teacher’s biased remarks and what they thought of the war. The identity of the KKK was explained to me, which changed my view of the U.S. and some of its racial issues. My father didn’t witness the dispute because he was out calling, but my mother told him about it.


Source #3 (Interview)

Subtitles (What my father said)
"She was obsessed about America. Her view of the U.S. was very subjective, and only saw the good side of it. She wasn’t aware of the murder rates, crime rates, and how dangerous the U.S. could be, but of course, as a young girl, she didn’t know about it."

"I heard that the parents that were there were having an argument about something what the teacher said. Apparently, she said something biased in the view of one parent, so he corrected her. The argument started from there on and Erika, she found out about the dark side of the U.S."

"Since she stopped bothering us about how she wanted to go back and live in America after that incident, it was quite big for us. Not only has she stopped blabbering on about nonsense, but she became more....more aware of her surroundings. She stopped looking at things one way, but started looking at things in different ways."

2. Brief description of source
I interviewed my dad who wasn't present during the dispute, but was told about it. He lived with me all my life so he knows about my past self and views of the U.S. He told me about my strong one-sided views of the U.S. and helped me organize the difference between my former self (before the event) and after it (my views after the event occurred).

3. Source type (primary or secondary)
This is a secondary source because my father wasn't present during the event (the dispute), and so he didn't witness it.

4. Short explanation of the source’s significance to the event
Since I was still quite young, I couldn't remember some of the smaller details of the events, which my father told me about. Although he didn't witness the argument itself, he had been told of it and therefore reminded me of the event when I forget about it. If it wasn't for my father, I wouldn't have been able to understand the life of the African slaves after the civil war, which would mean that I wouldn't be able to understand what the grown ups were talking about. I wouldn't have questioned what or who the KKK were if it weren't for my understanding of the information they were talking about.

5. Written or oral (e.g. podcast) recount of the event with direct reference to all of the sources
On July 16th, 2004, our parents were invited to come and watch us learning history in my summer school. We were currently learning about the aftermath of the Civil War between the Confederate and the Union. I couldn’t grasp some of the main ideas, so my dad explained in more simple terms, and my mom took a picture of us. He helped me by reading the textbook we were using out loud. My father later left the room to call a colleague, and a group of parents were arguing about the teacher’s biased remarks and what they thought of the war. The identity of the KKK was explained to me, which changed my view of the U.S. and some of its racial issues. My father didn’t witness the dispute because he was out calling, but my mother told him about it.


Timeline of 10 Significant Events in my Life
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